Marauder Tales
by x white x rabbit x
Summary: Everyone knows how Lily and James work out. But what about Sirius? What about Remus? They knew love too, right? Yeah, of course they did. So, for a Marauder story chock full of interesting relationships and twists, join them through their seventh year.
1. Meet the Cast

**A/N: Alright, first chapter of a new ****fic****. I hope you guys all like it. I know I do. People who have read with me before know that I always model a character after myself, in this one: Charlie. I hope you enjoy the story because I know I'll enjoy writing it.**

The train to Hogwarts was packed with the students, seventh years dominating the territory, obviously. Sirius Black, James Potter, and Remus Lupin headed down the corridor of the train, squat little Peter Pettigrew trailing after them as they went and found the compartment they always sat in.

"Ugh, how could you betray me like this, Prongs?" Sirius asked, flopping down in the compartment with a groan as James held a letter and a badge in his hand.

"I just can't believe, of all the seventh years, why on earth would Dumbledore pick James?" Lupin asked with a sly smile.

"Shut it, Moony," James snapped, looking up from his letter with a look of mild irritation.

"Well, one good can come of this," Sirius said with a shrug of his shoulders. His nonchalant adorableness was not something easily achieved. Sirius was the abject of affection for multiple females in the school, just as the girl entering the train as she bade goodbye to her older brother was the abject of the attention of boys. Charlie had a pair of huge muggle headphones hanging around her neck, a muggle zip-up hoodie with the logo of a muggle band, a pair of overly-large jeans that somehow hung off of her to make her look perfect, a pair of slip-ons, and various other muggle clothing styles that made her stand out from the crowd she was supposed to be with.

Charlotte Catherine Lucille Bates was a pureblood from a family that was absolutely upstanding and perfect until her mother died when Charlie was eleven. Charlie's mother had been a full-blooded Veela, which explained Charlie's perfection in looks. Though short and slightly slight, Charlie had the perfect body. She was thin in the right places, voluptuous in the places she should be. She had long blonde hair she had highlighted and whatnot herself. Charlie hated her father, in fact, she never talked about him, only her brother. No one ever saw Charlie with any other member of her family, that was, when her brother was around.

He usually stayed in Romania or Egypt or the likes doing research on magical creatures and compiling papers to take back for study with the Ministry. This summer he was actually on a holiday in London so he spent it with his little sister before sending her on her way to school for her final term. So, as Charlie, who did everything in her power to irritate her father, a man only Sirius knew due to family connections between purebloods, Charlie headed for the compartment across from the one the boys were in. James had been so foolish as to miss Charlie's best friend in there: Lily Evans.

Charlie slumped down in the compartment and pushed her bags onto the overhead rack before giving a slow sigh.

"At least Reilly was in town, you can be thankful for that summer gift," Lily said with a smirk.

"Good to see you too, Lils," Charlie said with a roll of her eyes before reaching slowly inside the pocket of her hoodie and pulling out her with-pet, a small baby bat her brother had bought her just this year.

"Gross," Lily said, shaking her head and sending her red ponytail flying about.

"You're gross," Charlie said with a laugh.

"You're hilarious," Lily said sarcastically before glancing out the window of the compartment and shrinking back at the sight of James Potter, standing outside with Sirius Black. "Great. Charlie, make them go away," Lily whined.

"And miss this?" Charlie said with a dry laugh. "Not for the world. Shall I begin keeping the tally of it now, or does it start once we get to Hogwarts?"

"Now's good," Lily groaned as the door opened. Charlie loved the fact that one of the most popular boys in Hogwarts was smitten with the book-worm, goody-good, perfect Lily Potter. It was unnatural, and Charlie loved tallying off every single time he asked Lily on a date. It was incredibly amusing. Charlie groaned as she laid out on the seat, not permitting Sirius a place here. There was a relationship between Sirius and Charlie that no one really understood. They were complete foils of each other. Sirius was attractive, pure blood, and popular. Charlie was incredibly attractive, pureblood, and popular. But Charlie wasn't getting with every guy she met, nor was she using her family connections for favors, or being a total ass to younger kids at the school. Sirius Black didn't listen to Muggle music or dress like he'd just rolled out of bed. But the sarcasm those two could spar with would cause a blood bath. Both had tongues sharper than swords.

"What's wrong, Bates? Afraid my greatness my cloud over yours?" Sirius asked with a smirk, leaning against the doorway.

"Not really. I'm just worried that if you sit here your giant head might hit me," Charlie said with a smirk before turning her attention to James.

"So, Lily…how was your summer?" he asked, sounding awkward as he mussed up his hair the way Lily absolutely detested with the fire of a thousand suns.

"Wonderful. I got Head-Girl," she said with a triumphant smile, though her tone was one of nonchalance. Sirius snorted a laugh at the dirty side of that phrase Lily uttered.

"Well, then I guess we'll be spending a lot of time together," James said with a cocky smile.

"You mean when I pull you by your ear to detention?" Lily asked, looking away from him and down at the issue of Witch Weekly in her hands.

"No, I mean, I'm Head Boy," James said with a grin. Lily took a few seconds to process that before her eyes went wide and she stared up at him, her expression one of horror.

"How? It's impossible! You're James Bloody Potter! You don't follow rules!" Lily practically shouted. "Being prefect last year was a fluke! We all knew it was fluke! But Dumbledore must be insane now!" Charlie was smirking, trying to hold in laughter as Lily erupted from where she sat to take up James's personal space, pointing at him menacingly, her green eyes blazing, making her look perfectly menacing.

"Maybe you should ask him when he shows us the wonderful and cozy dormitory we'll be sharing," James said with an even wider grin.

"I refuse to sleep in the same room as you, Potter!" Lily said with a glare.

"You won't have much choice," James said, planting his hands on his hips the way Lily was now standing. Charlie grinned. "So, will you go on the first Hogsmeade weekend with me?"

"And there's one," Charlie said with a wide smile.

"Shut up, Char! And no, James! I will not go out with you. I will not date you. I will not give you the time of day. Leave me alone," Lily said angrily and yet without shouting. James put on a fake pouty face before he left the compartment as Lily was about to smack him. Sirius dropped down next to Charlie as she'd moved when things got interesting. She still sat in a very unladylike manner. Her legs were sprawled out as she fiddled with the baby bat in her hands before she put it back in the pocket of her hoodie.

"So, Charlotte, how was your summer?" Sirius asked with a smirk. Charlie looked up at him, smirking slightly.

"You really think you're welcome in here too?" Charlie asked, raising her eyebrow. Sirius smiled.

"I'm welcome everywhere, darling," he said with a smile.

"Is that so?" Charlie asked, brows still raised.

"It most definitely is," Sirius said confidently. Charlie stood up then and glared at Sirius, her liquid golden eyes blazing beneath the surface. Charlie was tough, people didn't mess with her. She was the only girl on the Quidditch team, the best flier, the one with the best maneuvers, and the only time that she and Sirius had civil conversations were when they were playing Quidditch and she thanked him for knocking a bludger off her back. "Fine, fine, calm down, Veela-girl. Wouldn't want the scales growing all over your arms, now would we?" Sirius asked sarcastically before leaving the compartment as well. They went back to their own compartment and sat down with Remus and Peter, of which whom they had taken under their wing to teach and help.

"So, Moony, when's the next furday?" James asked, nudging him with his elbow.

"In three nights," Moony said. Remus always looked slightly ragged, but the closer to the full-moon, he looked downright ill. James put his arm around his friend, smirking.

"Ah, no worries. We always get through it," he said, grinning. Remus gave a half-hearted smile before looking out the window of the train.

"Dude, I can't believe this is gonna be our last year," Sirius said, shaking his head.

"I know. It's so insane. And then what? Where do we go from there?" James asked in confusion.

"Me, well…I want to do what Charlie's brother does. That sounds like a freakin' awesome job. What about you, Prongs?" Sirius asked with a grin.

"I wanna work for the ministry," James said with a shrug. "Be an auror. Moony?"

"They won't hire me anywhere, Prongs. I'll live on the welfare of your bosses."

"Shut up, Moony. You're smarter than all of us. You could totally get a good job. What do you wanna do?" Sirius asked, shaking his head at his friend.

"I wanna teach at Hogwarts," Remus said. All the boys looked at him in slight shock. No one ever talked about doing that. It was abnormal.

"Teach what?" James asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Defense Against the Dark Arts, probably," Remus said with a smile.

"Wait…that's kinda like teaching kids how to kill things like you," James said, instantly regretting the words as they came out of his mouth. Lupin disregarded it though, not really caring.

* * *

When the train arrived at Hogwarts, everyone had changed into their robes and were ready to go. Even Charlie, who always added a touch of flair to her uniform, was ready. The bottom of her blouse was never tucked in, her sleeves were rolled up, the bottom of her blouse stuck out from the bottom of her sweater, her skirt was always a few inches shorter than regulation, there was writing all over her shoes, and her tights were probably the only thing that was normal about her uniform. Even her tie was askew as they walked into the Great Hall.

Lily had grown quite accustomed to people staring at Charlie, especially since it was their seventh year and Charlie was in the front of the Gryffindor line as they all took seats at the house tables. Everyone took their seats as the Sorting began. Those poor first years, they were no nervous. After the sorting, there was the customary speech by Dumbledore and finally the feast, James and Sirius's favorite part.

They downed more food than anyone thought possible, and Charlie had a tendency to keep up, though it wasn't a race, she just was a very unladylike girl who liked stuffing her face with the delicacies of Hogwarts food. After the feast, everyone retired to the common room, led by Lily and James, much to Lily's resentment. Charlie and the other Marauders went their own way to the Gryffindor Common Room and got there before everyone else.

"So, Bates, how long do you think it'll be before James and Lily get it on?" Sirius asked with a smirk, flopping down on the couch next to her, taking up the small amount of personal space she had. She smirked back at him before planting her feet against his back and propelling him off the couch.

"Let me think…hmm…never," she said with a roll of her eyes before she went up to the girls' dormitory and placed her baby bat in the drawer of her nightstand. She sighed before going back downstairs. So, being around Black wasn't ideal, but it was better than being alone sometimes. As the rest of the Gryffindors filed in and Charlie sat by herself looking over a magazine about Muggle bands, no one bothered her. A few younger boys could be seen staring at her from time to time, and Sirius simply glared at them out of the corner of his eye.

"Why do they all stare at her?" he asked Remus angrily.

"Because she's perfect," Remus said, not looking up from his DADA book. Once everyone had gone to bed, Lily and James walked in, obviously done patrolling the halls.

"Took you long enough, mate," Sirius said, finally drawn from his boredom now that his partner-in-crime had arrived. Lily rolled her eyes before dropping on the couch next to Charlie.

"How was it?" Charlie asked, giving her friend a sympathetic and pained expression.

"You can add ten to the tally. I counted just for you," Lily said before letting out a soft groan and falling against the arm rest. James looked up from his conversation with Sirius to see Lily's behavior before shrugging it off and turning back to Sirius.

"You like her, don't you, mate?" James asked Sirius with a sly smile, his voice soft.

"Of course I don't like her. I think she's hot. I mean she's cool, fun, and hot, but that doesn't mean I like her, it just means I wanna snog her…amongst other things," Sirius said jokingly.

"Veela have good hearing," Charlie said from across the room with a roll of her eyes.

"Oh, well then give into my wishes," Sirius said with a sly smirk.

"In your dreams, Black," Charlie retorted.

"You're exactly right. I shag you in my dreams every night. Except…you don't talk…ever. Hm…sounds like a nice change, why don't you try it sometime?" Sirius asked with a smirk.

"Padfoot," James said warningly.

"Oh, back off, Prongsie, I can handle little Charlie Bates," Sirius said. Charlie smiled smugly before standing up.

"Wanna test that, Black? Name the game," Charlie said through narrowed eyes.

"How about fist to fist?" Sirius asked with a smirk. "I mean, after all, I don't hit girls, so this shouldn't be a problem."

"Pads," James warned again.

"Oh, har har, Sirius Black, such the comic," Charlie said, shaking her head.

"Scared?" Sirius asked.

"Charlie, watch your temper," Lily warned.

"I think you should be scared, Sirius. You know what happens when I get pissed," Charlie said with a grin. She could, unlike many Veela because she was only half, control how her anger affected her. She began to feel little sparks in her fingertips as little fireballs appeared.

"Pads, let it go," James said harshly.

"Charlie, calm down. We don't need this," Lily commanded. Charlie shot her a wicked glance before she did back down, the fire in her hands disappearing into the air.

"Way to call off your dog, Evans," Sirius said. Remus was the one to intervene now, holding Charlie back as James restrained Sirius.

"You both need to just cool it, for five minutes," Remus said angrily. "Honestly, you cannot get through a day without wanting to murder each other."

"She started it," Sirius said.

"Um…actually, Pads, that was you," James said, shaking his head as Sirius regained his composure and James released his grip. Remus released Charlie and she made a move to Sirius and he flinched. She laughed before flopping down on the couch.

"Get over yourself, Bates. You're not as awesome as you think you are," Sirius said, shaking his head.

"Think before you speak," James said, shaking his head.

"What?" Sirius asked, looking at Charlie. "She's not."

"You're such an idiot," James sighed as he watched Lily and Charlie and go upstairs.

"Why am I an idiot?" Sirius asked.

"Because, when you like a girl, you don't insult her," James said harshly.

"Oh, Prongs, you're still under the illusion that I have a thing for Charlotte Bates," Sirius laughed, shaking his head.

"Illusion my ass, Pads. Before now, you two were always just fans of witty banter with each other, now it's full blown blasting each other," James said, shaking his head. "Something changed in both of you, that's obvious."

"Shut up, Prongs, you don't know what you're talking about," Sirius said, shaking his head, sending a his perfect black hair into casual and attractive disarray.

"Sirius, you like Charlie. You're acting like a six-year-old with his first crush," James argued.

"I'm Sirius Black, I don't get crushes. I snog and whatnot. I don't have relationships," Sirius said, shaking his head. "Now, can we actually talk about something worthwhile, like how we're going to handle three nights from now. Remus looked up.

"Same as always, right?" James asked confusedly.

"You're Head Boy…you have to patrol the corridors. And it doesn't help that Moony's a prefect so he can't take your place," Sirius noted.

"Bloody hell, this is not good," James said, standing up.

"You're gonna have to like play sick so Lily will let you go," Remus said slowly. "I'll be in the hospital wing already."

"Don't, under any circumstances, tell Lily what's going," Sirius commanded.

"I'm not a complete idiot, Pads, thanks for saying so though," James said with a sigh. "I better get off to my own stupid common room," he said as Lily came down the stairs.

"Night guys," she said as she left the common room without James. He rolled his eyes before walking after her.

"So, Lils, this is gonna be the first time in this special little heads house, what do you think it'll be like?" James asked with interest.

"Don't know, don't care. And if you talk to me or come into my room ever…you'll be sorry," she threatened before walking faster until she got to the door and muttered the password. James followed her inside. It was nice. Like the Gryffindor common room only a bit smaller. There were two doors on each side of the room that led to the bedrooms. One door said 'Head Boy' and the other read 'Head Girl.'

"Good night, James," Lily said, shaking her head at him before walking into her room and closing the door behind her. James groaned and flopped down onto the couch, glaring at the issue of the Daily Prophet that sat on the table. There was a storm brewing somewhere. The news was everywhere. Something dark was coming over the wizarding world. It was a scary though. James never ended up going into his room that night. He simply fell asleep on the couch. That was usually how it worked back when he was back in the Gryffindor Common Room. He and Sirius would always stay up late and just crash on the couches in the common room.

**A/N: So, that's the first chapter. Review please. I hope you liked it. I do. Charlie is modeled after me. ****Hehe**** Anyway, please read and review and tell your friends. I love Marauder ****fics****. They make me smile.**


	2. Awkward Exchanges

**A/N: Alright, so, in light of the recent reviews, I've known what changes should be made. So, you can rest at ease. Know that the Heads' Dorm is of my own creation. There's no mention of it in the book, but there's also no mention of whether or not the Heads stay in their house or not. So, just know that. Hmm…I think that should be it. Thanks for the reviews. It means I will be continuing. **

* * *

_I'm in love with the girl I hate  
She enjoys pointing out every bad thing about me.  
I'm in love with a critic and a sceptic, a traitor  
I'd trade her in a second.  
She's a backseat driver, a drama provider  
An instant update of the world.  
She's a first class liar, a constant forgetter.  
She's attractive but bitter_

**Forever the Sickest Kids** - She's a Lady

* * *

It had taken quite a while for Charlie to calm herself down that night, and she had half a mind to go downstairs while she knew Sirius was asleep on the couch and just punch him in the face. But she didn't. She opened her window and watched as her bat flew out into the dark night. In less than an hour, he'd returned with a letter for her, from her brother. She tore at it and read. 

_Hey, Char, _

_Hope everything at Hogwarts is good. Hope that Black kid isn't giving you trouble, we know how that family is. Dad is angry. He wanted to see you over summer. It's a good thing you didn't come back. He was in a pretty bad rage when I went to see him. I got a black eye out of it, as always. He almost cursed me when he saw I was gonna take the liquor away, so I left it. Sorry. I guess it just didn't work the way we'd planned. Until he calms down about mom dying, you're not safe at home. We established that a few years ago when he sent you to St. Mungo's. Be careful at school. Don't get into any more fights, and don't let guys turn you into…you know what I mean. I love you, kiddo. I'm heading off to Norway by train in the morning to study up on Northern breeds of Dragons. Hope my papers are good enough to be published this time. Have fun at school. _

_Reilly _

Charlie sighed and stowed the letter into her nightstand where all her letters from her brother went. She let her bat crawl back into the dark before she flicked off her light, thinking about her dad, how much he was suffering, how much he'd made her family suffer with his anger. He'd really loved her mom. She was awesome, after all. She'd come from a family of experienced witch-veela and her dad had always been in a family of pureblood wizards. When Charlie's mom died, nothing mattered to her dad anymore. He was vindictive, frightening. The first time he saw his daughter after it happened, he was drunk and hit her so badly she went to the healers. She shuddered remembering it. She'd only been eleven.

She only went to her dad's house when it was absolutely necessary. Normally she'd stay with a friend. Before it had been the Black cousins…but they were beginning to become…well…they were total bitches now that Charlie was into the whole 'I like muggles because I wanna piss off my dad' phase. So, now she'd taken to staying with Lily whenever her brother wasn't around to bring her to his flat in London.

She sighed and clutched her pillow as she fell asleep.

Sirius was in a rage. Remus and Peter had already retired to the dormitory, but Sirius, on the other hand, was fuming.

"How dare he insinuate I like Charlie! How dare he! I mean seriously, she's hot and she's the only one who's ever been able to go toe to toe with me at looks, flying, and fighting, but we're too unlike. She'd kill me…she's so annoying. I would kill myself if we were together. Jeeze, Prongs. You've lost your touch, mate," Sirius said, talking to himself.

"Sirius, you're so loud, shut up," said Charlie as she yawned from the stairwell. Sirius shut up immediately as he saw the drowsy and beautiful girl in front of him. Her golden and droopy eyes were tired, and she wore only a tank top and a pair of boxers that were a bit short on her. The tank top was short too, showing a shock of her pale, sleek stomach. When she finished yawning, she noticed his stare. "What the hell are you staring at?" she asked, her tone no longer drowsy, but serious.

"Oh…uh…nothing. Just go back to sleep, I'll be quiet," he said, shaking his head of the lustful thoughts. Charlie gave him a look of disbelief.

"Whatever. You'd be louder just to piss me off. What's going on with you lately? We used to have fun, now you're being a total git," she asked, completely descending the stairs and crossing the threshold to the couch where she sat and kicked her legs up on the table.

"Because you turned into a bitch," Sirius said, refusing to look at her.

"Well, I'm glad you spared my feelings in your judgment," Charlie said with a roll of her eyes before standing up and walking to the stairwell.

"Charlie," Sirius called after her. She turned to look at him.

"Don't forget, Quidditch tomorrow morning, bright and early. It's tryout day and we should watch," Sirius said. Charlie rolled her eyes at him before going up the stairs. Sirius left the common room after that, making his way to the boys' dormitory where he saw Peter snoozing peacefully and Remus still awake.

"Moony, what are you doing up? You're getting more raggedy by the day. You should be resting," Sirius scolded, flopping down on his bed with a roll of his eyes.

"I can't sleep. James's stupid owl woke me up with a letter," Remus said, tossing the envelope at Sirius who looked at it rabidly. "You're not gonna open it, are you, Pads?" Remus asked, sounding taken aback.

"Of course I am. He leaves us here to go hang out with his future wife. The least I can do is have some blackmail material for when I see him at Quidditch tomorrow," Sirius said with a smile, ripping open the letter. He stared at the contents for a few minutes before nearly falling off the bed from shock.

"What is, Padfoot?" Remus asked in confusion.

"Prongsie is Quidditch captain," Sirius said with a smile. "Maybe he'll kick Charlie off the team," he finished deviously, his expression one of visualizing it.

"You're such a good person," Remus spat sarcastically before looking over at Sirius who was getting off the bed and snatching the Marauder's Map up off the dresser.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," he said softly, igniting his wand and staring at the parchment. "Aww, that poor oaf is sleeping by himself. No teachers around at this hour. I guess I get to pay our dear friend a visit. Wake up Peter…someone will have to squirm under the door and open it from the inside."

"Not necessary. James left his Head's letter in here. The password's on it," Remus said, handing it to Sirius who glanced over it quickly. Sirius smiled widely before leaving the common room. As he made it to the bottom of the stairs he got out of the common room, much to the Fat Lady's nonsense protests of him waking her up. He stared at the map, seeing the coast was clear before setting out to the Head's dormitory and muttering the password. He opened the door with a creak only to see James sitting on the couch eating something.

"Padfoot, how the hell did you get in here?" James asked with a shocked face.

"You're irresponsibility opened the door," Sirius said, waving his hand at his friend before walking to the couch and snatching the sandwich from James. "Aww, I didn't know you'd even prepared me a midnight snack. Thanks, mate." He took a monsterous bite before trying to talk with his mouth full.

"So…ooo goth a wetter fom da quittik peopa," he began.

"Eat then talk, please, Padfoot," James said, shaking his head. Sirius shrugged and shoved James's letter into his hand. James read it over before giving a broad smile. "I'm running freaking tryouts tomorrow? That's awesome."

"I'm gonna help," Sirius said as he swallowed his meal.

"Obviously. We need a new chaser, after all. And a Keeper," James said slowly.

"Two chasers. You can officially kick Charlie off the team," Sirius said with a smile.

"Why would I do that?" James asked, wrinkling his nose in perplexity.

"Because she's a bitch," Sirius said simply.

"And the best chaser Gryffindor's seen in centuries. We can't get rid of talent like she has. No one can do aerial acrobatics like she can. No one flies faster than her except me on a really, really good day. She'd be suited for a Seeker if it wasn't for her impatience," James said, shaking her head. "She stays."

"Oh, fine!" Sirius said with a roll of his eyes. "Anyway, next thing on the agenda: Can I sleep here?"

"No…" James said, a look of horror crossing his face.

"Please. Peter snores and Moony can only sleep through it because he's part dog," Sirius whined.

"So are you," James argued, shaking his head. "Besides, Lily's pissed at me enough already. If you stayed the night in here, she'd probably shank me with a dull blade in my sleep tomorrow night."

"It's a sacrifice you need to make for your best friend," Sirius said, putting on a nice pouty face. James sighed.

"Just make sure you're gone before anyone is awake tomorrow and you're sleeping on this stupid couch," James said, shaking his head. Sirius grinned broadly.

"You got it. I'll wake up all the Gryffindors bright and early for Quidditch tryouts in the morning. Oh, and it's a Saturday, even better," Sirius said with a grin before lounging more comfortably on the couch. James rolled his eyes before standing up and walked back to his room, holding his new letter and the Marauders' Map.

"Night, Prongsie," Sirius said with a smirk.

"Go to sleep, Sirius," James said, walking into the room.

The next morning, Lily was pounding on James's door furiously.

"What is it, Evans?" James asked with a roll of his eyes as he opened the door to see her in her pajamas.

"Why the hell did I wake up to find Sirius on our couch?" Lily asked angrily, her green eyes blazing with ferocity. James was taken aback for a moment before he carelessly mussed his hair again and shook his head.

"He got locked out of the Gryffindor common room last night and didn't remember the password and I found him when I went to do an extra patrol because I'm so responsible. I told him he could stay here the night," James said with a smile.

"Why didn't you just let him into the Gryffindor Common Room?" Lily asked, speaking to James as if he was a few fries short of a Happy Meal.

"Um…because…I forgot the password," James said with a shrug. He was a good liar, a really good liar.

"James Potter, you are so irresponsible! Dumbledore must be mad to give you this job! I swear I'm going die before this is over because of you. You'll irritate me to death!" she shouted at him. James sighed.

"I'm sorry, Lily. I really am. I should have been smarter," he said softly.

"Damn right you should have," she said with a glare.

"I truly am," he promised, his voice not betraying the lie. Lily pursed her lips for a moment before storming off back to her room. Sirius peered up from the couch and gave James a thumbs up before walking towards the door.

"What time is it?" James asked drowsily.

"Well, your girlfriend woke me up at like four," Sirius said, shaking his head. "She was doing something loud and it woke me up. She didn't notice me until five minutes later when she started pounding on the door."

"It's four in the morning?" James asked, groaning.

"Yep. Beautifully rainy day for Quidditch tryouts, huh, sunshine?" Sirius asked coyly before leaving the room and heading off down the corridor in the direction of the Gryffindor Common Room. He walked in to see Charlie sitting on the couch, a Muggle magazine in her hands. She glanced up as she saw him enter but shook her head and looked back down. He flopped down next to her.

"Still in the same clothes from last night, Black? People are gonna talk," she said with a smirk as she closed the magazine and tossed it onto the table.

"Yeah, well, I like people talking about me. Unlike you, little miss I'm-perfect-but-I-like-to-hide-it," he said, mimicking her voice perfectly. She rolled her eyes and looked up at him.

"What did I do to deserve this new treatment out of you?" she asked, shaking her head.

"Oh, not much, just growing up," Sirius said with a smile.

"So I guess you're growing down. You're acting like a six-year-old," she said, shaking her head at him.

"You know, James told me the exact same thing last night," Sirius noted, smiling.

"Before or after your queer loving?" she asked, smirking.

"Oh, pretty girl's got jokes?" Sirius said, eyes widening.

"Well, you two do spend almost every waking minute together so it's what we all assume," Charlie said with a sigh.

"And asking Lily out everyday?" Sirius asked.

"A cover-up to keep his popularity and permission in the boy's locker room," Charlie said, shrugging slightly.

"Oh, you're hilarious!" Sirius said sarcastically. "Is that the reason I snog a girl a day?"

"Yep. We all know it's true. The guys on the team are all gay too, so they don't really mind," Charlie said with a smirk. After a pause in which the two laughed silently over memories, things that were said, Charlie sighed. "You see, why can't it be like this anymore?" she asked, her eyes softening.

"I don't know," Sirius said with a shrug before standing up. "Come on, we better get to tryouts they start in less than an hour and we have to wake up the whole house."

"Why is that again?" Charlie asked with a soft sigh.

"Because we're officially allowed to torture everyone younger than us by any means necessary now," Sirius said with a shrug.

"Good enough for me," Charlie said before walking towards the stairs to the girls' dormitories. She shouted up the stairs. "Hey, children! Get your butts down here for Quidditch tryouts. You know you wanna try out for the team!" There was a massive amount of fumbling and then rushing girls, including first years, who came down the stairs within ten minutes, dressed in workout clothes, jackets and all. Sirius smiled, assessing it adequate before he shouted commands of his own and got the boys down in five minutes.

"I win," he said with a smirk.

"That's because the girls cared what they looked like," Charlie said with a roll of her eyes and a flick of her wrist. She went up the stairs to her dorm next and got changed and retrieved her broomstick. When she got back down, everyone was waiting for her. She smiled and they headed out towards the pitch. James was sitting in the stands, captain's badge gleaming on his chest.

"Well, looks like my wonderful assistants made sure you guys were ready. Teammates, take your seats in the stands for judging," James said as Charlie, Sirius, Jason Richmond, and Annette Dawes climbed the stands to sit and watch. Annette was the other chaser and Jason the other beater. Annette and Charlie made a ferocious team, not to mention she had the world's biggest crush on Remus. Charlie and Annette sat next to each other watching as James put the new people through rigorous training.

"Alright, Charlie, come on down here," James said, waving Charlie from the stands. She smirked and descended the stands before hopping down with her broom in hand. "As I'm sure you all know, Charlie's well on her way to be a professional Quidditch player with her skills. She's the fastest player this school has ever known. Whoever can grab a bristle from the tail of her broom, is one step closer to being the next chaser. And she will try and trick you."

"I like these tryouts. They're way better than when you and I tried out, Potter," Charlie said, mounting her broom. James signaled for the others to all mount brooms and then he blew his whistle and Charlie shot into the air. Sirius watched as she zoomed in and out of people, causing them to collide with each other. She looped circles around them and sped past them. None could catch her. The only one who came close was Davey Smith, a fifth year. He was pulling off some of the same tricked Charlie was, and, when James had grounded everyone else, he was satisfied with Davey being the new chaser.

James then proceeded to tell Charlie and Annette to get ready for some practice shooting and called over the three boys trying out as Keepers. All three were sixth years. He sent each of them up at a time as Charlie and Annette shot on them. The only one who blocked a good number of goals was the one they were happy with: Charlie Simms.

After a two hour practice, the team dragged itself to the locker rooms to change back into some dry clothes and then headed for the school. Charlie was in the mood for a nice and calming shower, and that's exactly what she did when she got back to the common room. She came back down to see that Sirius had the same idea, as he was sitting in sweats, hair wet and smelling fruity. She sighed and sat in the squishy armchair across from him, this time with her headphones in her ears. Sirius rolled his eyes at her as he read over his class schedule again.

Annette hopped down the steps in different clothes, her dark brown hair hanging down by her face in small beach-curls. Remus came down the stairs next and Annette almost dropped the small mug of butterbeer she held in her hand. Remus placed his hand behind his head, scratching the back of his neck as he noticed her. He had a thing for her too. It had always been awkward for those two to be in the same room together. But, Annette was one of Charlie's best friends, and a friend of Sirius too. Just like Remus was a mutual friend. They'd end up together sooner or later, that was sure. But Remus was thinking the same thing about Charlie and Sirius.

It seemed she only looked at him every once in a while, sending fleeting glances. He would check her out quickly and then look away. They were good at it, hiding how much they did like each other. They had probably even convinced themselves they didn't like each other either. Remus gave a light chuckle as he watched.

"What are you laughing at, Moony?" Sirius and James asked at the same time as James opened the portrait hole and stepped into the common room, Lily behind him.

"Nothing," he said, shaking his head. Annette glanced at him before looking at her hands and then taking a long sip of the warming beverage in her hands. Sirius and Charlie continued their look-tag, while James and Lily sat on opposite ends of the common room, James never taking his eyes off of Lily.

Would the awkwardness never end?

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**A/N: A bit shorter than the last chapter, but you'll get over it. I hope you like it, and now I've introduced Moony's love interest. Please read and review. Oh, and we officially know Charlie's back-story, which is nice. **


	3. What?

**A/N: Yeah…I am totally rushing this but that's because I'm inspired. Ha! Anyway, this is the third chapter I started today…let's see if I can finish it. Oooh, that would be so cool. Oh, and just know I won't be updating at all within the next week. I'm going out of town for the weekend and I never update during the school week unless, by some stretch of the imagination, I happen to have a total lack of homework.**

* * *

_ Boys speak in rhythm and girls just lie  
Tell me how you feel, come out of the dark  
Then we can head back home and I'll know where to start  
Speaking foreign language, nothing I can translate  
You're speaking foreign language, nothing I can dictate  
Where did we go wrong?  
We need medication for this miscommunication  
Our conversation's weakened_

**Anberlin - **Foreign Language

* * *

As the Marauders made their way down to breakfast with the few students who were awake in time for breakfast, Charlie and Lily sat in the Heads' Common room, simply talking.

"I don't get it. How can you have a 'thing'," she began, using the air-quotes. "For Sirius Black?"

"I don't know. I mean, we were just sitting there and talking and having a civil conversation for the first time since we got here and we talked and it was nice and now I have this weird feeling in my stomach that feels like an owl's in there, flapping around," Charlie explained, sounding confused.

"Aww, my little Char has her first crush," Lily laughed. "And the expression is butterflies in your stomach."

"Eww, there's butterflies in my stomach, that's disgusting," Charlie grimaced.

"it's just a muggle expression, calm down, Char," Lily said with a roll of her eyes. "Now…I guess it's okay for you to like Sirius, just be careful, he's not the best of guys to be hanging out with, you know that. You'll get hurt really easy when it comes to him." Charlie hugged her little rabbit stuffed animal, pursing her lips thoughtfully.

"I don't know…it's weird. Like I never would have thought that it was possible. Like…I know there's no chance, Sirius is too much of a womanizing git to ever have a relationship, least of all with me. He won't calm down the snogging just because he wants to be with me long enough to get in my pants," Charlie said, shaking her head.

"I guess you'll never really know unless it happens, huh?" Lily asked thoughtfully.

"Hmm…I could say the same to you about Potter," Charlie said softly.

"Oh, you're hilarious," Lily retorted sarcastically.

"I'm being serious, you can at least give the poor boy a chance, can't you, Lily?" Charlie asked, giving the pouty face she was so incredibly talented at. Lily groaned.

"Why are you against me on this?" Lily asked desperately.

"Oh…I'm not. Not really at least. I just wanna see James's reaction if you say yes to him," Charlie laughed.

"You're sick," Lily said softly.

"I prefer the term special," Charlie said with a cute shrug of her shoulders. "Anyway, I have an idea that could get James off your back and keep Sirius from womanizing."

"I'm all ears," Lily said with a grin as she listened to Charlie's proposal.

And in the Great Hall, James Potter was feasting with Remus. Sirius had already found some sixth year Ravenclaw to be his little friend for the day. James rolled his eyes as he started walking off in the direction of the broom cupboard on the third floor. He leisurely tapped on the door only to hear some fumbling inside and then watch as Sirius emerged, holding the hand of a rather attractive Ravenclaw girl.

"Oh…Bekah, this is James, James this is Bekah," Sirius said, catching a strand of the girl's long dirty blonde hair and tucking it behind her ear. She smiled at him before he gave her a small kiss on the cheek and she walked off, giving him a wink before going down the staircase.

"You're totally going to hell, you know that, right?" James asked his best mate with a wicked smile.

"Eh. Might as well enjoy my time here before the party downstairs then," Sirius said with a shrug. "What d'you wanna go do?"

"I figure we can go lounge out in the Heads' Common Room," James offered.

"Sounds good to me. It's a lot nicer than the Gryffindor Common Room," Sirius said with a smirk.

"Why?" James asked.

"No first years," Sirius said, getting a laugh out of both of them. James smirked as they made it there and got inside only to see Lily and Charlie. Charlie had to crane her neck to see over the back of the couch at the entrance.

"What's wrong, shorty?" Sirius sneered. Charlie rolled her eyes before grabbing the pillow she sat on and threw it at him. He caught it with ease and she rolled her eyes. Sirius smiled and sat down next to her, gently nudging her in a playful manner.

"You're so annoying," Lily noted, shaking her head before turning to James. "Charlie and I have made an executive decision."

"Such as?" James asked, sounding slightly fearful.

"If Sirius can go one day without snogging anyone, I'll go on a date with you, James," Lily said with a smile.

"And, if Sirius can't go one day without snogging, you have to agree to stop asking Lily out," Charlie finished with a smile.

"How unfair. I can't control Sirius's actions. Though I am begging him right now, on the figurative version of a bended knee to let me have this one little thing since it's my one chance with the girl of my dreams," James said with a pouty face.

"I…I don't think I can, James," Sirius said slowly.

"Please, Padfoot, this is your best mate asking you a tremendous favor. It's the only thing I've ever asked you for…except that one thing," James said after a second.

"That's true…even though that one thing was pretty big…but…I'll give it my best shot," Sirius said with a nod.

"We have a deal?" Lily asked, a wide grin spread across her face.

"Yeah, deal," Sirius and James said in unison.

"Alright, he has to go from this second until this exact time tomorrow without kissing a single person. If he does, the deal is over and James goes to his life of silence in Lily's presence. But, Lily, if James wins, you have to go out with him, no questions asked," Charlie said with a smile.

"Got it," Lily said with a grin. Their plan would totally work. It would get James off of Lily's back and it would show Sirius just how worthwhile girls could be for things other than snogging, especially in Charlie's case.

And so the day began. It was a Saturday, which meant it would be even harder for Sirius to avoid the temptation of snogging. There were no classes to keep him occupied. It was obvious how mad he was going when he was beginning to throw fleeting glances at fourth years. Charlie smirked as she watched during lunchtime.

"Oh, this is by far one of the most amusing sights I've gotten to behold in a while, Black," Charlie said with a grin. Sirius gave her a pleading look going back to staring across the Great Hall at a cute Ravenclaw who kept waving at him seductively.

"You have to help me. This is driving me insane!" Sirius groaned, dropping his head on the table. Charlie shook her head and took a bite of the turkey sandwich she held in her hand.

"Why should I?" she asked. And she really meant it, too. She did like Sirius, why should she make it easier for him to get with some girl.

"I don't know. But there's some way a girl could snog me and Lily wouldn't find out. I mean your job is to monitor my activities," Sirius said, thinking for a moment.

"And what plan of action is that?" Charlie asked, sounding skeptical.

"_You_ could snog me," he said with a grin. Charlie practically spit the mouthful of food she had back on the plate. "Attractive," Sirius said sarcastically. Charlie turned on him.

"Why the hell would I do that?" she asked him angrily.

"Because I've wanted to snog you for a while now," Sirius said, smiling innocently.

"Why do girls date you? You never say what they want to hear," Charlie said with a sigh, standing up and going to sit by a different person. Sirius sighed, shaking his head. She was so infuriating, her attitude and her snarkiness and her sarcasm. She was too much like him. God, why was she so perfect too? He hated it. One day, he'd find her flaw. He knew he would. He'd been obsessed with finding a weakness in Charlie for the longest time. And he was running out of time.

_Wait, did I just admit to myself I'm obsessed with her?_ Sirius thought.

"I'm so stupid. Maybe James was right. I do like her," he said to himself.

"What was I right about this time?" James asked appearing out of nowhere and sitting down.

"I like Charlie. I don't know…she's cool. But you know me, I can't handle the relationship deal, I can't go snogging the same girl and only that girl for my entire life. God, how does anyone do that?" Sirius asked in shock.

"Um…it's called marriage. My parents seem to enjoy it a tiny bit," James said sarcastically as he took a bite of the turkey leg sitting in front of him.

"But how the hell can I do that for her?" Sirius asked, massaging his temples.

"Well…you can start by at least making an attempt at it," James said thoughtfully. "Why do you think I never date anymore? Before I realized exactly how Lily's mind worked, I was like you, remember?"

"Yeah…the good old days. You were my wing man," Sirius said nostalgically.

"No…not the good old days. I'm finally getting some notice out of Lily, the girl I love, and this whole deal can work to our advantage. If you stay true to your side, you'll prove to Charlie that you're a somewhat decent guy and then Lily will have to go out with me and I can prove to her that I'm amazing," James said with a smile.

"What do you mean somewhat decent?" Sirius asked after he'd processed what was said a second time.

"What? Did I say that?" James asked in confusion before they both stood and left the Great Hall, thinking about their plans to win over the girls.

"You know," Sirius said as they got into the empty common room. "We should really do something about Remus and Annette, their coy little shy shit is getting on my nerves."

"You just say that because it's cute and you don't like cute things because you're evil and totally going to hell," James reminded his friend.

"Maybe. But at this rate, they'll never get together and we can't really risk that, can we?" Sirius asked, shaking his head as he slumped down on the couch and glared at the lit fire in the fireplace.

"Guess not," James said, shrugging.

"So…two nights. Come up with anything to tell Lily yet?" Sirius asked, glancing out the window at the moon.

"Not yet…it'll be hard to convince her I'm actually sick," James said, shaking his head.

"Are you kidding me? She'd kill not to have to be stuck on patrol with you. Just tell her you have a migraine or something," Sirius suggested, waving it off nonchalantly.

"You really think she hates me that much?" James asked with a sigh.

"Yeah, I do, actually, why?" Sirius asked, looking up at his friend.

"Well…I can't help but think there has to be something there or she never would have come up with this whole deal-bet thing," James said thoughtfully.

"Good point. I don't know, Prongsie, maybe Lily Evans will grow to love the loveable James Potter," Sirius said with a shrug. "You never really know, huh? Not until you give it a shot."

"Funny," James said with a sigh. "I could say the same for you about Charlie."

"I'm gonna give Charlie a chance, as soon as I'm sure she won't get hurt by anything I do," Sirius reassured his friend.

"Yeah, uh huh," James said sarcastically before grabbing his class schedule and reading over it quickly.

"What?" Sirius asked, sounding perfectly innocent.

"Sirius, you are totally going to lose this bet…keep your head in the game. Think of it as like…training for having a real functional relationship.

"My relationships aren't dysfunctional," Sirius argued, sounding hurt.

"Yeah, because you don't have any," James said, rolling his eyes. "But anyway, if Lily's gonna be patrolling the halls, we can't just be seen wandering the corridors to get outside. We'll have to use the cloak."

"Are you kidding? It's too small. She'd see pairs of shoes walking about the corridors instead," Sirius argued.

"Well, dog-boy, you got any better ideas?" James asked expectantly.

"We could slip her a sleeping potion," Sirius suggested. "And then you can have your bloody way with her while she's out and we'll scamper off to the Shrieking Shack after that."

"You're really messed up in the bloody head," James said, shaking his own noggin with a disgusted look.

"You know you love me," Sirius said lightheartedly before he stood up. "Yeah…I'm gonna go take a nap, alright? Holler if you need me," he said, yawning.

"Sirius!" came a shout of a feminine voice. He turned around, only on the second step.

"What?" he asked Charlie, eyes narrowed.

"What do you think you're doing? You can't be going to sleep at a time like this. How do I know you won't be doing horrible things with that enchanted mirror of yours? You know…anything womanizing counts," she said, planting her hands on her hips.

"Alright, how about I make a side-deal with you," Sirius offered, completely ignoring the fact that James was still in the room as he walked over to Charlie, placing a hand on her shoulder. She glared at it, eyes narrowed.

"I don't trust you at all, and yet I find myself compelled to listen to you," she said thoughtfully when she'd stop her acidic staring. Sirius licked his lips.

"How about this, if you start wearing flattering clothing that's tight on your pretty chest and jeans that actually show you have a body instead of those ones that are like forty sizes too big on you, and you start actually being nice and have a boyfriend or at least casually snog people, I'll stop being like that," Sirius said, smiling.

"Why in bloody hell would I do that?" she asked, eyebrows raised.

"Because, that'll mean Lily will definitely have to start dating James, which everyone wants, and then we can go our merry way," Sirius said, shrugging in nonchalance.

"Why are we making so many deals today?" Charlie asked, shaking her shoulder to rid it of Sirius's hand.

"Because, we're like little devils," Sirius said with a devious grin.

"You, I'd believe that," Charlie said confidently. "But no. I'm not going to become some little whore, come at a beckon call type girl. Sorry, Sirius, I'm too good for that. And I'm not letting you out of my sight."

"Ugh. You're so infuriating," Sirius groaned, flopping on the couch next to James.

"Why, thank you," she said with a smirk. Sirius glared up at her before shaking his head and laying down on the couch, flopping his legs onto James. James squirmed out of the chair before giving a wave and leaving the common room, not even taking a second glance back. He knew an argument was probably going to follow.

"What is your weakness?" Sirius asked angrily.

"Why would I tell you?" she retorted, dropping onto the armchair with a roll of her eyes.

"Because you love me," Sirius assured her with a cute grin.

"You're so charming," Charlie said sarcastically.

"I know," Sirius replied.

"So…why do you want to know my weakness?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Just to know you have one, to be honest," Sirius laughed.

"You really think I'm that perfect, huh?" she asked, giving a small laugh.

"You really make it seem like that," Sirius assessed, looking her over quickly.

"You wanna know something I suck at, Black? Is that what you want me to say?" Charlie asked, raising her eyebrows at him.

"Yeah, pretty much," Sirius said, nodding.

"I'm not smart. In fact, I'm pretty much an idiot. Why do you think I have no hopes for a future career. I flunked my O.W.Ls two years ago…I'm going to flunk my N.E.W.Ts this year. I'm just awful at Charms and Transfiguation and all of it. I mean I can pull off some spells, but not really. Only the basics of Charms work with me, I'm hopeless at Transfiguration. I'm gonna be a Quidditch player, that's the only thing I can hope for. Maybe I'll play for the Hollyhead Harpies or something, but I have no career as a famous and wise witch in my future, Sirius. So, there, that's what my flaw is. I'm not smart. I mean I can think of an insult so fast it's ridiculous, but I am _not_ good at school."

"Whoa, Charlie, slow down," Sirius said, shaking his head. "Why does it matter how smart you are? You're gonna be more famous than any auror with the career you're going to get into easily."

"Because my dad – " she began before stopping and biting her bottom lip.

"Your dad?" Sirius asked, waiting for her to finish.

"My dad's just really strict on grades, okay? When he found out about my O.W.Ls he got really, really mad," Charlie said, making the understatement of the year. "And he told me if I didn't get good scores on my N.E.W.T.s then it would be even worse."

"Oh, I'm sorry. But I mean, the worst he can do is yell at you, right? And you can just tune it out. No worries, no problems," Sirius said, not really sure how to comfort her.

"Yeah, sure," Charlie said, standing up.

"Where are you going? You have to watch me and make sure I don't compromise some girl's honor," he said, watching as she walked to the stairs.

"I'm gonna go take a nap. I don't care anymore, go snog some girl senseless," she sighed, shaking her head. Sirius had no idea what he'd said to make her so…standoffish, but he stood and left the common room. Even though he had no clue what had happened, he was kind of taken aback and felt a little guilty. Which was something that never happened when girls got mad at him. Maybe it was because they used to be friends. He would convince himself of that point, obviously.

That night at dinner, there was a huge clatter of a plate as Charlie smiled at Lily.

"You wanna do what to your hair?" Lily asked harshly.

"I wanna dye it dark brown," Charlie said calmly.

"Why? I mean when I met you it was pretty naturally and then you went and put uneven highlights in it and now you wanna totally dye it…with permanent muggle dye!" Lily almost shrieked. There were eyes on them from all over the Gryffindor and Slytherin tables. Neither seemed to care though. James was chuckling at Lily's little outburst and Sirius was staring in shock. Lily never freaked out.

"You're crazy. Have you been drinking firewhiskey?" Lily asked, eyes wide.

"No. Lily, I'm fine. I'm great, actually. I just wanna do something crazy," Charlie said with a laugh.

"Exactly, crazy. No, I won't let you," Lily objected.

"Why are you making such a big deal about this?" Charlie said, still laughing.

"Because I'm stressed out," Lily said, obviously quite a frazzled individual.

"Lils, just relax. Why are you freaking out?" Charlie asked.

"We can talk about this later," she hissed. Charlie rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. But I'm going to do it. You know I will. I bought the dye over summer with my brother. Plus, I'm the only one in my family with light hair anyway," she said with a smile.

"Ugh. You're so immature. Grow up, Charlie. The world isn't made for everyone being ten years old. One day you'll realize that and completely hate yourself for acting like this," Lily said as Charlie stood up, ignoring the rant and walking away. "And ignoring me is so mature too."

* * *

**A/N: Alright. So I didn't finish by the time intended. But I got a chapter in. Everyone thought Charlie was little miss perfect, but she's not. There's her flaws written all over this chapter. The next few I'm going to try and focus more on Lily/James and Annette/Remus. So, read and review please! **


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